


Thicker than Water

by AsynchronousPsychic



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bonding, F/M, Femdom, Licking, Light Bondage, Mildly Dubious Consent, Trust Issues, it's actually more wholesome than it sounds I swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-07-25 02:29:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16188212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsynchronousPsychic/pseuds/AsynchronousPsychic
Summary: Set In an AU where many of the trolls weren't childhood friends, and where adults don't leave Alternia.Karkat thinks his life can't get much worse, when a certain junior legislacerator kidnaps him for his delicious candy red blood.How will their unconventional relationship evolve? Could it even lead to romance?





	1. Chapter 1

“Another shitty day in the bleak, pathetic and volatile existence that is my life…” Karkat Vantas muttered under his breath. He continued trudging through the cold to his hive, after another gruelling day of labour, knowing full well that he’d be repeating the cycle all over again tomorrow. Despite this, Karkat knew better than to strive for more, as he was “lucky” to even be alive. It’s rare for mutants of his kind to reach maturity. Normally, someone like him would be culled at a young age, as soon as their condition was discovered. Thankfully Karkat had some low-blood childhood friends that were able to help him disguise himself as “just another rust-blood”. It was hard to keep up the façades at first, but after doing so for sweeps, it’s become second nature to him now.

Thinking about them seeps regret and sorrow into his mind, like a trickle of poison. The sight of Tavros covered in his own brown blood was painfully etched into his memory, as well as the looks on Aradia and Sollux’s faces when they were taken away to different facilities, in far-away lands. _They may have been complete bulge-sniffers at times, but it was nice having people I can rely on not to cheat me, or kill me, or both for a fucking change. I can’t let my guard down against anyone anymore, no matter who they seem to be._

A soft shuffling sound in the distance draws his attention. He turns his head on instinct, but is greeted by the familiar sight of the surrounding dimly-lit subgrub, and the bone-chilling breeze that seemed to pass through his body like a spiteful ghost. _I need to get home_ he thought as he continued on his way through the dark, and the illusion of peace it preaches, at a slightly faster pace. Someone like him can never really consider themselves safe, but it was not unheard of for high-bloods to appear, to assault low-bloods for fun, without provocation. _Almost there. I’ll be able to finally get some fucking slee--_. His self-reassurance was interrupted by a hand placing a cloth over his mouth, partnered with a strong ether-like smell. _NO NO NO NO! Not now! Not like this…_ Despite his struggles, nothing could stop him from being dragged into the void of unconsciousness.

Karkat awoke on his back in a dark room. The darkness was a beast, staring at him with bright, invisible eyes, ready to strike without warning at any moment. He tried to sit up, but found his arms bound in opposite directions above his head. The ropes that bound him had a small amount of give in them, but all his strength seemed to only lend him a few extra inches of movement for each arm. His legs were also tied, but with much more slack than the ropes binding his arms, for the most part. _These ropes must be there to stop me from kicking violently, and using my legs to free myself._ He used his legs to push himself backward up to a cold, hard wall immediately behind him, and used it to prop himself into an upright sitting position. Trolls usually have little trouble seeing at night, but this room was pitch-black.

As his mind came back into focus, the gravity of the situation torrented down onto him like a waterfall of dread. He had no idea where he was, who had kidnapped him, why they wanted him, or what lay in store for him. _This doesn’t make sense, why am I alive? Am I really **that** fucking unlucky that I can’t even be killed quickly!?_ His mind raced in fear of his uncertain future. Against his better judgement he choked out “Fuck…” before immediately regretting making any sound that indicated his presence to the void around him. His blood was thick and heavy in his face as the echo of his mistake revealed that the room he was in was smaller than he expected, indicating that anything present would be close to him. The following seconds were among the most tense of his life. The silence was deafening, and the air was stone. Hot sweat streaked down his skin, stewing him in his own fear.

Seconds turned into minutes, and nothing happened. The storm of adrenaline reluctantly faded into calm. _Seems unlikely that anything alive is down here with me. Unless the nook-whiff is sadistic enough to watch me panic like a pathetic wriggler_. Using what freedom he had, he used his feet (which he now noticed were bare) to feel out the surrounding area. As far as he could tell he was on a large, thin, springy cushion. The surrounding floor were cool and smooth, like the inside of most buildings.

Karkat’s investigation was cut short as the room was suddenly illuminated. Karkat recoiled as the light assaulted his eyes, forcing him to shut them. He could hear the tell-tale soft clunks of someone descending a staircase on the far side of the room. Driven by anxiety, he forced his eyes open, desperately trying to identify the figure before him. What he saw was certainly not what he expected. She wasn’t a hulking high-blood, covered in a rainbow of blood. In fact, she looked slightly smaller than himself. She had short, pointy conical horns, and vibrant red glasses. But by far the most distinctive feature was her growing grin, filled with neat, dagger-like teeth.

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally awake. Now the fun can begin.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Fuck off!” Karkat spat at the troll who now stood over him.

“Hahahahaha! Is that really the best you could come up with?” her laugh sent shivers up his spine as the sound pierced his ears. He knew she was right, but he needed her to know that he wasn’t going to simply roll over and die. “Hmmm? Meow-beast got your tongue? Got nothing more to say? No questions? Or better yet, pleas for mercy?”

_This woman is bat-shit crazy!_ Karkat thought, retaining his silence. He returned her words with nothing but bared teeth, and cold eyes.

“Your wriggler-like silence is completely lacking in fun and good spirit.” Finally, her grin faded into a pout, but only a moment later it returned. “Perhaps we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I’m Terezi Pyrope, legislacerator extraordinaire!” She struck a dramatic pose, full of confidence and vigour, that made Karkat roll his eyes. Legislacerators were tasked with hunting down criminals, and prosecuting them in court. The red and teal outfit she wore seemed to support her claim. She elegantly gestured towards him. “And you are…?”

“Vantas, Karkat Vantas” he replied. He didn’t want to play along, but if he refused at every turn she would undoubtedly lose her patience. _But I haven’t fucking committed any stupid crime you repulsive bag of knives_ he thought. Suddenly he realised what it was all about. Unless s _he knows about my blood colour_. She pulled a small device out from one of her pockets. With a press of a button, the ropes around his legs suddenly tightened, pulling down onto his back again. “Agh! What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?” he barked almost instinctively.

“Verifying if my efforts have been in vain or not” she replied calmly as she crouched next to him. Karkat could feel the adrenaline return as she moved her face mere inches away from his. Even if karkat had spent hours mapping out every scenario imaginable, he would have never seen what would happen next coming.

With a long, slow stroke, Terezi licked the side of Karkat’s face.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing you freak!?” Karkat yelled. His check was coated in the slimy saliva of the other troll. Terezi on the other hand was ecstatic.

“So it is true after all! Blood of the most delicious candy red colour!”

Karkat’s heart dropped into his stomach. _Candy red blood_. The words he never wanted to hear outside the prison of his own thoughts. _This is it. There’s no coming back from this_ Karkat thought, trying to come to terms with his inevitable demise at the hands of the cackling fiend before him. To his surprise she leaned back in and continued licking him, this time on his neck. The sense of her smooth, warm tongue dancing on his skin was overwhelming. “Just hurry up and _kill_ me already, get it over and fucking done with you psycho!” Terezi stopped what she was doing and leant away from Karkat.

“Kill you? I’m not going to kill you, you idiot! What good are you to me dead?” She spoke to him as if what he said was stupidest thing she’d ever heard. Karkat on the other hand had never been more confused in his life.

“What good am I to you alive?” he asked.

“The blood that flows under your skin is the sweetest, most intoxicating shade of red I’ve ever tasted!” She replied, salaciously. Karkat’s face turned to disgust and horror

“You want to drink my blood!?”  he asked. Terezi smacked that back of his head and gave an exasperated sigh.

“No, dumbass! I like the taste of the _colour_ of your blood, not the taste of the blood itself. Do you take me for some kind of rainbow drinker?”

“So, you can taste… colours?” Every question Karkat asked seemed to raise two more when he received the answer.

“Yes, something like that. Now that’s enough questions. Time to get back to business…” She hungrily resumed her previous task. She was practically on top of him now, her lips caressing his neck, and cheeks, occasionally letting out satisfactory moans, as if he was a well-prepared.

Karkat was in pure shock, he’d never experienced, or expected to experience such sensations, and as such, struggled with all his might against the ropes. Against all belief, the rope binding his right arm snapped. Before either of them knew what was going on, Karkat used his freed arm, and all the force he could muster to shove Terezi off of him. She completely fell over backwards, and stumbled to re-orient herself. _This will be the only chance I have to escape!_ He reminded himself as he desperately used his right arm to free his remaining limbs. The more limbs he freed, the easier it became. He looked to Terezi who, and saw she was about to strike back. She was too late. At the last moment, Karkat freed his other leg and rolled out the way. When you were a low-blood, you needed to know how to avoid attacks to survive. Karkat could feel the adrenaline throb through his entire body as he bolted towards the staircase. Just as he reached the base of the staircase, he felt Terezi’s grab his arm. Reacting on pure instinct he swung her around and slammed her body into the wall.

He raised his fist as he looked into her face; She grimaced, recoiling from hitting the wall. _This feels wrong._ He cringed. He had never seriously hurt anyone before, and he never attacked first. These brief moments of hesitation would be his downfall. Terezi gave him a mighty shove, and before he could get back up, new, thicker ropes had snaked around his limbs, and began dragging his body back to its original position. Karkat didn’t bother resisting. He knew he’d already lost.

“You _are_ quite the feisty one aren’t you karkat?” Terezi mused. Her re-assertion of control on the situation came hand-in-hand with her trademark grin. Karkat remained silent, head dipped in resignation. “Could it be that you feel bad for losing to a blind girl? Hmmmm?” _What?_ Karkat thought, looking up immediately. Terezi’s red shades had been broken in the chaos, revealing her eyes: scorched red. _Her eyes… She’s blind!_ Karkat thought as he stared in disbelief. Terezi’s smile faltered briefly. “You didn’t figure it out…? I guess you’re a bigger dumbass than I thought!”

“Fuck off!” Karkat replied before immediately realising how pathetic a retort it was. Terezi simply turned around and walked off to the staircase. “Wait, that’s it? You’re just going to leave me down here!?” Karkat thought for sure she was going to beat him senseless for attempting an escape. She turned to him as she began walking up the staircase.

“Your punishment for tonight is no dinner. Play nice tomorrow and you’ll be fed. Sweet dreams Karkles…” She blew him a kiss as she exited the room, closing the door behind her, and plunging the room back into darkness. _What just happened to me…_ Karkat went over the encounter in his head over again, trying to make sense of it. Now that he had a better idea of what was going on, the darkness was threatening no longer. Karkat had not been awake for long, but his brief escape attempt, in addition to the recession of adrenaline left him ready to accept sleep’s embrace. Karkat tried to clear his mind, and drift off into sleep.

_Wait… ‘Karkles’!?_


	3. Chapter 3

“Wake up Karkles…” Karkat was jolted back into consciousness by a warm, wet sensation on his ear.

“Augh fuck! Is it possible for you to not be such a total psychopath!?” Karkat pleaded.

“I am about to depart for work. It’s time for me to bring justice to the world, one criminal at a time!” Karkat scoffed, but Terezi didn’t seem to care. “This is how things are going to work for you while I’m not here. When I leave, the restraints on your arms will detach themselves, and the radius of your leg restraints will be increased enough to give you access to most of this room. Behind that door over there is a load gaper and an ablution trap. I expect you to keep yourself clean for me. In addition, to stop you from getting even more crabby from boredom, I’ve brought down some books for you to enjoy. My taste is impeccable so they’re sure to please. Do not fold the corners of the pages!” Terezi placed a pre-packaged lunch next to him. He often bought these for himself, mainly because they were cheap and easy. “Here is your lunch, I’ll feed you again when I return.” She began walking away, up the staircase, before leaving Karkat with one last statement. “Remember, these are _privileges_ , not rights. Do anything I don’t like, and I’ll revoke them. And don’t bother trying to escape while I’m gone. The hive is rigged with sensors, and I’ll be alerted if you try to break out. See you when I get home Karkles!” She promptly exited and closed the door at the top of the staircase behind her.

“Don’t call me ‘Karkles’!” Karkat demanded. _What a stupid and demeaning nick-name. Who does she think she is?_ True to her word, the restraints around Karkat’s arms came off, and the ropes around his legs went slack. _I really need to use the ablution trap_ Karkat reminded himself. Once Karkat had bathed and eaten, he figured he might as well look at some of the books he was provided with, especially seeing as it would probably be several hours until Terezi returned. _She probably has a fucked-up taste in literature, like torture guides, or “top 10 ways to freak trolls out using only your tongue.”_ While some of the books were about Alternian law, a subject Karkat found as dry as a desert beneath the noonday sun, some of books had quite a different subject matter. There were a few trashy romance novels, most of which he recognised. _Huh, well she seems to at least have a taste in romance novels that isn’t completely bark-beast shit_. He opened the one of the ones he wasn’t familiar with, and began reading away, engrossing himself in the world created by words on the page.

The tranquillity and lack of distraction allowed the hours to pass as he continued reading. It was quite the surprise when he could hear footstep upstairs, indicative of Terezi’s return. It was not long before the door at the top of the staircase opened, and Terezi appeared, yet again dressed in her legislacerator’s attire. She descended the steps, smug grin without end.

“Karkles, guess what? I’ve got some dinner for you!” She announced, presenting a food-bearing plate. The restraints had re-attached themselves and pulled him back to the wall, as expected. “Personally, I’m going to start with dessert.” She chuckled, crawling on top of him, tongue extended. Karkat kept silent as she began her task. _No sense making this any harder than it has to be. It could be much worse, while this is fucking weird, it’s not like she’s actually hurting me…_ Karkat thought. The warm saliva began dripping down his neck onto the floor. Terezi was ravenous in her oral assault, her tongue massaging his neck with its strong strokes. Hard as he tried to not react to the immense sensations, he could not help but writhe against the restraints. “What’s the matter Karkles? Could it be that I’m a bit much for you to handle? Do I taste the tiniest hints of candy-flavoured blush!? How embarrassing!” Terezi chuckled. “Did you have a prudish matesprit and kismesis or something?”

“Or maybe you’re just a twisted fucking lunatic you can’t keep her saliva to herself if her smug face depended on it!” Karkat shouted back. Much to his surprise, Terezi recoiled slightly, mild confusion spread on her face. There were a few moments of silence before she stood up without a word, placed Karkat’s dinner next to him, and returned upstairs, the suffocating silence broken only by her methodical footsteps. As the door closed behind her, Karkat’s restraint’s loosened yet again, allowing him to eat. He should feel relieved that he got her to stop early without consequence.

So what was this empty feeling gripping him?


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Karkat awoke the next morning, Terezi had already brought him something to eat, and left for work. There was clearly significantly more food than a single meal. _I’m guessing this is meant to last me the whole day_ Karkat figured. After eating a sizeable portion of what was left for him, he resumed reading through the romance novel from the previous day. Luckily for him, he was not a particularly fast reader, and the book was rather long, giving him many hours of reading to enjoy.

Karkat heard the telltale sounds that marked Terezi arriving home from work. _I guess it’s time for another… “session”_ Karkat thought. He kept his eyes focused on the door, ironically like a predator waiting for prey. Minutes passed with the door unopened. _It seems she’s running late tonight…_ Karkat guessed. After half an hour passed, he figured that she would not be descending the staircase to taste him tonight, and as such decided to read one last chapter before falling into slumber.

_Ugh, I can’t read another page with my head this hazy, and my eyes this heavy._ Karkat conceded. He closed his eyes and felt the relief offered by letting his mind go blank. Relief would be brief however, as he was disturbed by the door opening, the light temporarily blinding him. When Karkat’s eyes finally adjusted he saw Terezi stand before him, but not how he expected to. For once, she was not wearing her legislacerator’s suit, but pyjamas instead. She had a cushion in one hand, and a large blanket in the other. She was not wearing her red shades, revealing her crimson eyes which sat on the tear-stained thrones that were her cheeks. Sitting up, Karkat realised at this moment that his arm restraints had not activated, despite Terezi being in the basement with him. The reason why would be made apparent to him soon.

“Hold me.” Terezi commanded, choking on her own voice. There was a brief silence, before she sat in front of him, and shuffled back until her back leant on his chest.

“I don’t understa—” Karkat began.

“just… hold me… please” Terezi interjected, placing the pillow between Karkat’s back and the wall, and wrapping the blanket around the both of them. Karkat hesitantly wrapped his arms around Terezi, who in turn grasped onto them. Without as much as another word, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Karkat, on the other hand was seldom able to sleep anymore. His blood-pusher was racing, as a dark thought entered his mind, casting a deep shadow on his composure. _I could easily strangle Terezi if I wanted to. I could escape._ _She left the door open and everything_. The thought weighed heavily upon him. Crushingly heavy, like a waterfall of boiling hot dread. He looked down at her tender neck, but was distracted by her face. It was peaceful. The marks of her distress fading away. _No. I can’t do it. I can’t kill her, not like this._

The decision was liberating. He let out a strong exhale as his pulse slowed. _I don’t know if I’ll regret this, but for now, I need sleep_ Karkat thought. Sleep came to him faster than he’d expected. He couldn’t deny that Terezi’s body was surprisingly warm and soft. For reasons unbeknownst to him, he gave Terezi a quick squeeze with his arms as he drifted off, and he could have sworn that she gently nuzzled his neck in response.

The next morning, Terezi was gone when Karkat woke up. If it wasn’t for the remaining cushion and blanket, he might have thought he dreamt the whole encounter. Nearby was what he presumed to be his breakfast, and a note. Karkat read the note:

_I’ve gone to work, enjoy your breakfast, and thanks for last night. I’ll make it up to you.  
Signed Terezi (your favourite junior legislacerator  >:] )_

Now that Karkat thought about it, he wasn’t surprised Terezi left before he woke up. He felt like he had slept for a few hours longer than he normally did. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept that well. _Must have been the fact I was much warmer due to the blanket and because Terezi’s body was…_ Karkat stopped mid-thought as he felt a mild blush form on his face, truly processing how I last night might have looked out of context. Karkat forcefully pushed the thought from his mind. He remembered how distraught she looked when she stood before him. _I hadn’t even considered she could even feel sadness, she always seemed happy in her own sadistic way… I guess I really don’t know anything about her_. Knowing that Terezi would not be home for another few hours, he returned to reading to pass the time.

When Karkat heard Terezi return, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. The last time they interacted (at least consciously) she was in tears. Not long after her return, Terezi entered the room. Again, she wasn’t wearing her suit, but casual wear. But she seemed to have returned to her eccentric default. In her hands she had not one, but two meals. _Is this her way of thanking me? An extra dinner?_ Karkat thought, mildly offended.

“Do you think I’m some kind of pet? That a second dinner is going to change my life?” Karkat taunted.

“They’re not both for you, dumbass” Terezi sat down in front of him, gave him one of bowls, and began eating from the other. Karkat simply stared at her in confusion. “Karkat, eat. I don’t want you and your candy blood wasting away on me.”

“Why are you eating down here?” Karkat began. “You had never come down here before to do anything but taste me until… last night.” Karkat faltered slightly at the mention of last night’s events, unsure of how Terezi interpreted them. Terezi’s expression however, was without waver.

“Maybe I just wanted some company while I ate.” Terezi replied nonchalantly. Karkat screwed-up his eyes at her response.

“I don’t buy it. There are too many loose threads here. For days, you’ve assaulted me with that ironclad smugness. Then out of nowhere, you come down here in tears wanting me to comfort you? Do you know what could have happened to you!? What I could have done!?” Karkat realised he was shouting. _I need to keep calm, getting worked up isn’t doing me any favours_.

“I don’t really want to go into details, but suffice to say someone who meant a lot to me abandoned me. That on top of work being stressful slowly became too much, and you saw the manifestation of it last night. And yes, I knew. I knew you could have killed me there and then…” Terezi paused a moment, as if trying to find the words to express her thoughts. “To be honest, I think a part of me was hoping that you would.”

Karkat immediately stopped eating. He felt sick to his core. The wave of horror and pity that struck him was nauseating. _I need to say something to her_.

“Terezi, I—” Karkat began.

“There’s no need for you to say anything. Your actions speak for themselves, and for that, I promise that I won’t use the restraints on you from now on, even when I’m here, unless you misbehave of course.” Terezi announced. Karkat only now realised that he hadn’t felt the ropes around this body since yesterday morning. “I have something else for you, but it’s not quite ready yet. Don’t go anywhere Karkles.” Terezi got up, with a spring in her step and went back upstairs.

After some shuffling upstairs, Terezi opened the door, and struggled to get what looked like a very large, firm cushion, easily large enough for a troll to lie down on. She gestured for you to get up, and out of the way. Doing so, she lay the object down right where he had been sleeping up until this point.

“Sometimes in the military, when they send officers into areas where getting access to sopor is impossible, they sleep on these things. I’ve taken to them myself recently. Regardless, you should sleep much more comfortably now. You can keep the blanket too. The nights are getting much colder this time of sweep.” Terezi explained. As Karkat inspected the springy fabric case, Terezi pushed him onto it. Before Karkat could protest, Terezi threw herself onto it as well.

“Oh, is it time for you to—” Karkat queried, before being interrupted yet again by Terezi.

“Shhhh, try to relax and enjoy your reward…” Terezi said softly, Manoeuvring herself behind him. She began gently massaging his neck and shoulders. “Karkles, you’re so tense.” Terezi stated. “It would be in your best interest to just… _relax_.” Terezi whispered directly into Karkat’s ear, sending shivers down his spine, and raising the hairs on his neck.

“Why are you doing this?” Karkat question in exasperation.

“The better question is: Why are you resisting me so much?” Terezi replied, continuing her massage.

“Because I don’t want to let you win.” Karkat stated, not entirely sure what his own words meant. Regardless, Terezi seemed to enjoy his response.

“Hahahaha. How did you live so long as a mutant with such a stubborn streak? If you somehow missed it, I’m doing something _nice_ for you. Now, lie back.”

_I don’t think she’s going to hurt me if I let my guard down for a little while. It might be smarter to just go along with it for now_ Karkat thought.

Terezi pulled on him lightly, guiding him so that he lay on his back, with his head in her lap. She began lightly scratching and massaging his scalp. Whether he liked it or not, it was working, he was relaxing, and felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy. Terezi shifted her focus towards the base of Karkat’s stumpy horns, causing his eye’s to flutter.

“fuck…” he couldn’t help letting out in a whisper. This pleased Terezi to no end, knowing he was completely at her mercy, and perhaps beginning to like it.

“Good night Karkles.” Terezi farewelled. Karkat wanted to contest the nick-name, but was too deep into sleep’s hold to utter a word.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been busy with life, but I promise I never forgot about this.

_Cold_. When Karkat was roused from his deep sleep it was the first thing he noticed. His feet and hands were half-numb. The second thing he noticed was what actually woke him; Terezi hurrying down the stairs with two large, thick blankets. Before Karkat could question what she was doing she threw the blankets on top of him, and preceded to get under the covers with him.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Is it possible that your thick head hasn’t perceived how undeniably cold it is? I went to get more blankets.” She smugly replied.

“You didn’t leave after I fell asleep!?” Karkat questioned in surprise.

“And sleep where? Where do you think this springy fabric case came from? My room, you dumbass.” Terezi explained teasingly.

“But that would mean…” Karkat began

“Yes, that’s right. You have the privilege of keeping me warm and comforted every night, from now on.” Terezi said as she shuffled herself up against karkat. Karkat himself was speechless. Terezi grabbed Karkat’s arms and placed them around her. “I don’t have work today, so we can stay like this aaalll daaay.” As much as karkat needed the warmth, he rolled over, his back now to her. He felt a compulsive need to resist her, like a cuttlefish swimming against the current. He needed her to know she wasn’t in complete control. _I’m not going to entertain her attempts to make me uncomfortable_. She seemed to take it in stride, as before he knew it, she had pressed herself up against his back, and placed her own arms around his waist, hugging him loosely. “Hey, Karkat…?” Terezi queried. Karkat immediately noticed a different tone from her, her usual aura of confidence seemed absent. After a brief pause, he responded.

“What?” Karkat couldn’t deny a bit of genuine curiosity at what she had to say.

“I’m sorry about what I said the other night. It was unfair for me to tease you about your past relationships like that.”

“Don’t be, I didn’t really care. I don’t really have any relationship history to speak of regardless. To be honest, I was surprised by your reaction. that you seemed to care at all.”

“Wait really?” Terezi responded.

“Yeah, you weren’t exactly the shining fucking example of empathy.”

“No, not that dumbass. You’ve never had a real relationship before?” Terezi explained.

“No. You make it sound like it matters.” Karkat retorted, sullen at the question.

“It doesn’t, I guess. I’m just surprised.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment I gue—” Karkat felt a wet sensation at the point where the back of his shoulders met his neck, and knew what Terezi was doing. Part of Karkat instinctively wanted move away, but that would mean leaving behind the warmth they both desperately needed and could only get from each other. While he was loathe to admit it, her hot tongue felt rather nice on his skin in the chilling cold. Perhaps interpreting Karkat’s lack of reaction as silent approval, Terezi renewed her hold on karkat, moving her hands from his torso to around his chest.

Despite how cold it was, between the thick blankets, Terezi’s warm body, and the hot saliva on his back, Karkat had never felt so warm in his life. The room was silent, save for the gentle, yet vigorous lapping of Terezi’s tongue as it dragged across his bare skin. The lack of distraction allowed him to lose himself in the warmth, perceiving nothing beyond the intimate dance on his back.

Too far into his stupor, Karkat didn’t notice had Terezi stopped until he spoke to him. “Karkles, my back’s getting cold, it’s your turn to be the big spoon.” Without thinking he rolled over, so he was facing Terezi, who had also rolled over and was placing his arms around her waist.

“I noticed you’ve been some of the books I left here for you.”

“Well I have to do something while I’m down here, don’t I?” Karkat realised he hadn’t spoken for an uncharacteristic amount of time.

“Yeah, but specifically what portion of my books you’ve been reading. I must admit Karkles, I’m surprised that someone who is supposedly so disinterested in relationships can be so entranced by romance novels.” Karkat couldn’t see Terezi’s face, but he knew a smug grin had formed on her face. Karkat wanted to retort Terezi’s snide comment, but she wasn’t finished yet. “So what do you think?” she asked, her complacent tone gone as fast as it arrived.

“of what?” Karkat responded, thrown a bit off-centre by her question.

“the novels!” Terezi explained, with what seemed to be teasingly feigned exasperation.

For hours, Karkat and Terezi discussed and argued over Terezi’s romance novels. Karkat was surprised at how much she had to say on the topic, and couldn’t help but discuss a topic he’s never had the chance to discuss before. At least outside of condescending trolls online. He was even more surprised that they agreed on most things. Which characters were stupid, which scenes were particularly well-written, which relationships were superior objectively to others; and what Terezi disagreed with him on usually gave him an insight into a different point of view that genuinely made him re-think some of his long-held opinions on the subject matter. They’re thorough conversations were only interrupted by the need to eat, and other necessities.

Karkat could feel his body slowing down, telling him it was time to rest. Terezi must have been in a similar situation, as they both made themselves comfortable, with Karkat’s arms around Terezi’s smooth waist, and under the gentle grasp of Terezi’s own arms. The warmth of each other’s bodies, contained within the heavy blankets was familiar now, and Karkat was content with the arrangement that existed between the two of them. He had closed his eyes for naught but seconds when Terezi spoke to him softly, with her back still turned to him. “Thanks Karkat, I had fun today.”

“Yeah, me too.” Karkat replied sluggishly, his body annoyed at the post-ponement of sleep.

“In fact, the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Terezi admitted.

“You’re welcome.” Karkat had closed his eyes again, but Terezi continued after a brief pause.

“I must admit your knowledge of romance novels is impressive, but how much of it carries over as practical knowledge?” She queried.

“Huh?”

Terezi turned around so that her body was facing Karkat’s. “I wonder how good your practical understanding of romance is.” Karkat couldn’t help but be entranced by her red eyes, like orbs filled with pools of liquid ruby. “Maybe we should put it to the test…” She whispered, slowly closing the distance between them.

Only now did Karkat realise what was happening. _Fuck, she’s going to kiss me. What do I do!?_ His body was paralysed, but his mind was racing. Mere moments away from Terezi’s lips, Karkat realised the truth: _I want this. I want her to kiss me._ And so, with this realisation he at last acted.

With all his might he shoved Terezi away and scrambled for the staircase.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's been over a month since the last chapter, and that this chapter is so short. I appreciate the kudos, and the comments people have left on the last chapter. It's good to know people are reading this and have comments to make.  
> When I originally came up with this fic, I didn't really plan much further than this, but I promise there will be at least two more chapters (although since I have little to no idea on how I want to finish this, there may be more than two).

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? STOP!” Terezi screamed at Karkat. Karkat was not paying attention to what Terezi was doing, but was focussed on the door, reaching the bottom of the staircase.

That was, until he felt her trip him by sweeping his legs with her own. He had barely begun to fall when she grabbed him, pulling him away from the stairs, and slamming him onto his back, with a thud. Reacting on instinct, Karkat tried to roll over so he could get back up, but before he could try, Terezi was on top of him. Sitting on his waist, she pinned him down by placing a hand on each of his shoulders and putting her weight behind them.

There was a brief pause as they locked eyes. Terezi’s were beginning to water, and Karkat’s mouth hung open, trying to form some kind of response. Moments passed where no response came, and before she could say anything herself, Karkat had sprung back to life, writhing under her grapple. She lost her balance, causing her to topple to the floor, but not to lose her grip on Karkat. What had been complete stillness mere moments ago had devolved into a desperate wrestle.

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?” Terezi yelled between her growing sobs and gasps. She could tell she was slowly but surely losing the fight. While Terezi certainly had more training in formal combat, Karkat was larger than her, and years of labour as a low-blood gave him a certain strength and hardiness that was suited to the circumstance. In addition to this, and certainly the most important factor was that she thought they had moved past such an outcome as this. With each shove and twist, each grab and pull, she felt her strength fade away, while Karkat powered on, his drive to escape unwavering. She simply couldn’t keep him with her.

After what felt like hours, but was in all likelihood only mere minutes, Karkat wrested himself free of Terezi and thrusted her away from him one last time. She made no effort to continue the ugly brawl. She simply lay on the floor bawling. Distraught, but otherwise unharmed. Finding the sight more than disconcerting, he resumed his ascension of the staircase. Perhaps it was due to his fatigue from the fight, but each step felt like a mountain. Karkat felt his blood pusher in his throat when he placed his hand on the door knob and twisted it. Unlocked. _This is it, I’m free_ he thought.

Karkat had forgotten Terezi was in the room up until now. A temporary crescendo of her consistently loud cries reminded him and forced him to turn around to look at the troll lying in the dimly-lit room. The arm he had clasped onto the door knob felt like stone; He had not the strength to pull the door open, nor to let it go.

Terezi could not stop Karkat from leaving. Her body ached from the tussle, her face ached from the crying, and her soul ached from her failure. So lost was she in her despair that she didn’t process that Karkat had begun walking back towards her until he was next to her. He uttered only two words to her before slowly walking into the far corner of the room, with a soft voice filled with numb pain:

“You win.”

Terezi could not stop Karkat from leaving. But he could.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit longer than the previous one. I honestly surprised myself a bit with the short amount of time it took to write this chapter. While I do not want to keep guessing how many more chapters there are going to be, I can confirm the next chapter will not be the last one.

Karkat sat silently in the cold corner of the room, knees to his chest in a poor attempt to conserve heat. He stared into nothingness without a thought in his mind. Whether this was because of the cold gnawing and numbing him, fatigue from the recent struggle, from the gravity of his mistake or a combination of the three, he did not know. He wasn’t sure if he knew anything anymore, and did not want to contemplate the notion. He didn’t want to contemplate anything. He didn’t want to _do_ anything, for doing anything physical made him ache and reminded him of the cold, and thinking about anything reminded him painfully of what transpired mere minutes ago.

“Karkat,” Terezi called weakly. Terezi had stopped crying and gone quiet some time ago, but Karkat was in no mind to recognise it. Only the surprise that she would address him caught his attention. She gestured to the space next to her, on the springy fabric case. “get over here.” Karkat could only stare in disbelief. How could she want to have anything to do with him after what he had just done? “You’ll get sick, or worse if you just sit in the cold.” Terezi explained. “Tonight is one of the coldest nights we’ve had this sweep.” The temperature became increasingly evident the more Karkat focussed on it, and knew she was right. Despite this, Karkat was still reluctant to do as instructed due to writhing feelings of shame and anxiety that were swelling in his chest. But to disobey Terezi now, after all he’d just done was unacceptable, leaving him no choice but to join Terezi.

Karkat’s motion was akin to a rusted machine struggling back to life after years of rust and corrosion. His joints ached as he crawled towards Terezi, amplifying his awareness of the cold even further. By the time he reached her, he all but collapsed next to her, onto the soft blankets, shivering. It did not take Terezi long to start wrapping blankets tightly around their bodies, as Karkat simply lay on his side, facing away from her. With one final blanket over the top of them, she wrapped it tight so there was no space in between them. Just when Karkat was settling into a sleeping position, he could feel Terezi’s arms snaking around his body, settling into a tight embrace around his chest. A wash of relief flooded Karkat. Maybe this wouldn’t turn out so bad.

He couldn’t help but dwell on just how tightly she held him, were it not for his exhaustion and the need for her body-warmth, he would have protested. Then it clicked. _She’s holding me this tight because she doesn’t trust that I won’t try leave her again._

“We’ll talk in the morning, Karkat.” She said softly, but with a subtle strain of anxiety. Fortunately for them both, they were in no state to resist the call of sleep.

It was almost as if the events of the previous night had never happened when Karkat awoke. That was until he was sorely reminded by Terezi sitting just beyond the base of his feet, watching him awaken. His attempt to get up so that he could sit next to her was denied by the bindings that held his legs. One of the many blankets in the room had been thoroughly and tightly wrapped around his legs, disallowing any movement below the waist beyond a slight bend at the knees. The blanket was secured at both his ankles and waist by two of the ropes that were previously used to bind him. Terezi clearly was in no mood to waste time, and thus began the inevitable conversation they’d both been dreading.

“Make things easier for both of us: don’t try get up. You’ll remain bound in whatever way I see fit until I wish otherwise.” Terezi explained. Her tone was unfamiliar to him, which unsettled him more than being restrained again. Terezi had often spoken to him in a methodical, instructive manner, but there would always be an aspect of excitement or humour with it. There was no such thing here. It had been succeeded by cold detachment. “What I wish to be done with you will be largely determined by how you explain yourself. But do not lie. Although lacking in experience, I am still a legislacerator and I will know if you lie, and believe me, you won’t like what happens if you do.” Terezi’s words dripped with threat, and for the first time since their first days together, Karkat felt a sliver genuine fear of her trickle through him. Terezi shifted in tone as she let out a small sigh. “However, as a legislacerator, even if junior grade, I hold the ideals of fairness and justice above all others, even if against myself.” Karkat raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the new direction Terezi was taking her speech. “And to be fair to you I have to acknowledge that ultimately I did bring you here against your will. So, in return for you telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I will answer any questions you have about me in equal measure.”

“I guess that’s fair enough.” Karkat replied calmly, internally regarding that this was the closest thing they’d had to a conversation since before the incident.

“Good.” Terezi seemed to at least recognise the compliance with politeness.

“So, you want to know the truth?” Karkat asked, half rhetorically.

“Yes. All of it” Terezi clarified, with calm intensity.

“All of it…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's been over 2 months since I last updated. To be honest, it took so long because I was unsure on how to write this chapter, so I kept putting it off. The good news is that I've already written most of the chapter 9, so it should be online soon.

_Industrial block? More like forced labour camp…_ Karkat thought to himself as he, alongside the other low-bloods in the group were “escorted” to their new “employment”. These low-bloods had been determined under imperial law to now be of an age fit for contributing to the future of the empire and their species. Or at least that’s what they were told, and expected to believe. Personally, Karkat saw it for the load of hoof-beast shit it was. But considering what the alternative was, especially if his mutation was discovered, he knew better than to make some ineffectual stand against it. Surely this life could only be so bad?

Half a day of orientation and hard work later, the low-bloods were allowed to return back to their hives. Karkat had spent the orientation in a cycle of boredom and contempt at the sea-dweller who condemned as much as he explained how his life was going to work now. He had spent the rest of the day being haphazardly taught how to do a plethora of demeaning and menial tasks. And now he was going to spend what few waking hours he had left of the day lying down with aching muscles, only for him to repeat it again for the foreseeable future, perhaps even the rest of his life.

After a few perigees, Karkat found himself in an unhappy, yet steady rhythm. Yes, he hated the work he had to do. Some days he was cleaning washing or doing waste-disposal, some days he worked the factories, occasionally he would do menial kitchen tasks for the preparation of meals. This job wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the fact that this food was always for the high-bloods who ran the complex, not those who actually did the hard work.

Karkat was doing his best to hate his lunch break slightly less than the rest of the day. He had lost track of how long he had been staring at the dark sludge that some considered food, spoon still in hand. He was brought back into focus by a small group of other low-bloods walking up to the table he was sitting at. _Ah shit…_ he thought. The few times the other low-bloods had interacted with him had ended up being a waste of time, either because they were stupidly naïve, or they were assholes. There were three of them, and based on their signs, they were a gold-blood, a bronze-blood, and a burgundy-blood, the last of which was the same blood colour he purported himself to be. Partially because it was the most similar colour to his candy-red blood, and partially because it was the logical choice. Very few would ever want to pretend to belong to the lowest caste. Without a word, the three of them sat down at the table as if there were nothing strange about it at all.

“Normally, you ask permission before sitting at an occupied table, assholes.” Karkat snarled.

The gold-blood responded for the group with a surprisingly nonchalant voice, accompanied by a lisp. “Normally, yes, but you probably would have said no, and told us to ‘fuck off’”.

“I think I still might” Karkat responded through grating teeth. “What do you want from me?”

“Just some answers.” The burgundy-blood responded cheerfully. Her positivity caught Karkat off-guard, and he realised it had been too long since he had seen someone show happiness (save for a sadistic high-blood). She gestured to herself, the gold-blood and then the bronze-blood. “My name is Aradia Megido, and this is Sollux Captor, and Tavros Nitram. What’s your name?”

Karkat was feeling increasingly uneasy and suspicious, but at this point felt no reason to not answer. “My name is Karkat Vantas, if that will get you to leave me alone sooner. What questions do you think I’m going to answer for you?”

Aradia looked to Tavros, gesturing for him to speak. He seemed to tense up at the notion, but eventually began speaking. “Well, uh, you see… I noticed that ever since we got here, you seem to stay away from, uh… everyone. I guess I was kind of wondering, uh… why you do that.”

Seemingly satisfied with what Tavros had said, Aradia resumed speaking. “Sollux and I thought that was a valid question, and so here we are.” Aradia beamed at this conclusion, as if she was proud of something Karkat wasn’t privy to.

“Not that it’s any of your business…” Karkat began, ensuring that his co-operation wasn’t implying any sort of amity. “I generally ‘stay away from, uh everyone’ because I’m smart enough to know it won’t do me any good.” Karkat’s mockery of Tavros’ timid speech caused him to shrink into his seat slightly.

In response Sollux threw him a dirty look and spoke up. “Yeah I’m _sure_ that’s why no-one here wants to have anything to do with you.” Sollux’s words were dripping in sarcasm, and a smirk appeared on his face when he saw how Karkat bared his teeth in annoyance.

Detecting the rising tension, Aradia attempted to regain control of the conversation. “What I think Sollux _meant_ to ask was why you think having friends wouldn’t do you any good?”

Karkat, losing what little patience he had, snapped back at Aradia “Because—” Tavros recoiled, but it was for naught as Karkat had nothing to say. In his mind he knew why, he just couldn’t put it into words. Right?

While he sat there silent, Sollux stood from the table gesturing to the other two. “Come on guys, let’s go.” They followed with little hesitation.

After they left, he returned to his, now cold, dark sludge.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I'm pretty confident that Karkat's flashback/recount will be over by the end of next chapter. Shout out to Bone Box for motivating me to finish of this chapter off.

For the rest of the day, he couldn’t help but dwell on Sollux, Aradia, and Tavros. Even after his long workday was finally over, and was able to return to his hive, he kept thinking about what they had done, what they said. _Why do I even give a flying fuck about those three? They probably just talked to me because they were bored and wanted to mess with me._ Karkat thought, trying to rationalise it in his head.

He was able to push it from his mind, and it wasn’t until he caught sight of them again, the next day, again at their lunch break, that he remembered it all. Just as yesterday, they sat down at the table with him without asking for permission. Aradia was sporting the same, mildly creepy, smile she had showed yesterday, which unnerved him slightly.

After a while, Sollux finally broke the awkward silence, with a small bump from Aradia’s elbow. “Look, Karkat… I’m sorry about what I said yesterday, about no-one wanting to be around you.”

To say Karkat was dumbfounded at this apology would have been the understatement of the sweep. He felt the unfamiliar sensation of guilt swell in his chest, and spoke only after his lack of response starting to compound the sensation. “N-no problem. I was being a jerk-ass, as usual. Sorry Tavros for… for mocking you. It was a shitty thing to do.”

“Oh uh, that’s ok… I suppose I was being a bit nosey….” Tavros replied humbly. Karkat could, however, tell he appreciated the apology by the way he looked directly at him when he spoke for the first time since they’d met. “To uh, be fair, I’m not surprised that you’re so grouchy considering we have to eat this every day.” Tavros gestured to the aberrant substance they were served with a smile. Aradia pretended to sniff the bowl, close her eyes and stick out her tongue, as if the smell of it had killed her, in a goofy attempt to illustrate Tavros’ joke. After a brief pause, the three of them burst out with laughter. Even Karkat himself couldn’t help a smirk.

_I guess these guys aren’t as bad as I thought…_

After that day, Karkat quickly became friends with Sollux, Aradia, and Tavros. He learned how the three of them not only were friends, but they were trying to help each other with their problems. Sollux could be overly sarcastic, Aradia sometimes missed certain social cues, and could struggle with body language (which explained her tendency to smile creepily), and Tavros had confidence and self-esteem issues, which often made him the subject for torment. It was this mutually beneficial socialisation that drew them to Karkat in the first place.

The next few perigees became more tolerable than Karkat would have thought plausible, thanks to the unlikely friendships he’d made. They would usually joke about how difficult their lives were during their lunch breaks, often trying to one-up each other on how difficult their current job was.

“What the fuck guys you got me worked up over nothing!” Karkat exclaimed to the other three. It started off the same way each other day had passed recently. That was until Aradia, Tavros, and Sollux pulled Karkat aside during their lunch break to tell him “a big secret”. “You idiots _do_ realise that it’s common for low-bloods to have some form of psychic power, right?”

In response, Sollux groaned in annoyance as he facepalmed. “We’re not talking about bending spoons in our sleep, Karkat. Aradia could easily kill a troll by slamming him into a wall with a thought.”

“I think about it often.” Aradia added cheerfully.

Karkat was still dissatisfied with what he’d heard. “Ok, well if that’s the case, why have you kept it a big secret? If the high-bloods knew you could do that you would be out of here in a fucking instant. Don’t you hate this place!?”

“Of course we do!” Aradia responded. “But then we would be out there doing who knows what for the Condesce.” Her tone turned to a sincere solemnity Karkat was completely unfamiliar with. “We’d rather be here than be living weapons.”

“It makes more sense… when you think about it, that is… to be slaves in here and suffer ourselves, than to be slaves out there, and cause suffering for others.” Tavros concluded with an unusual amount of confidence.

Karkat was astounded by their self-sacrifice, making him feel mildly embarrassed about his earlier frustration with them. “I suppose when you put it that way… It makes a lot of sense. If I were in your position I don’t think I would do the same. I wouldn’t be as strong as you three…”

“We haven’t told you this to brag, Karkat.” Sollux said, trying to re-centre the conversation. “We’ve told you this because we don’t want to keep secrets from you. As much of a jerk as you are, you’re one of us.” He placed his hand on Karkat’s shoulder.

Aradia continued on. “And we want you to know that you can tell us anything too.”

The thought was in Karkat’s head the instant Aradia suggested the idea. _My blood colour. I could tell them._ He thought. The pressure of choice made his blood throb in his body with anxiety, almost as if it knew it could be revealed. _I could finally tell someone, after all this time_. After what felt like hours contemplating, Karkat finally spoke. “I… appreciate the offer, and thanks for trusting me enough to tell me your secrets.”

With that, they returned to where they normally sat during their lunch breaks. No matter how he tried to justify it in his head, he couldn’t help but feel he’d betrayed them. It made the day feel so much longer, and when it was finally done, he was eager to go back to his hive and forget what a terrible troll he was. As usual, it wasn’t going to be that simple. Sollux walked up to him, and joined Karkat as he began walking home. Fairly often now they would walk back to their hives together, as they weren’t that far apart. It made the walk safer, and usually made it more enjoyable.

Sollux noticed Karkat was being uncharacteristically quiet, and spoke up. “Hey Karkat? Can I ask you about something personal?”

Anxiety flared once again in Karkat’s chest. _Is he suspicious about my blood? Is that what today was about? Them trying to guilt me into confessing?_ He thought, mind racing. He knew he needed to say something before rousing even more suspicion. “Sure…” The moments leading up to Sollux’s question were some of the most stressful he could remember. The possibilities and consequences surging through his mind.

“Do you know anything about romance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just clarifying to be safe: This is NOT going to have any Solkat in it. I'm not hating on the 'ship, but that's not where this is going.


End file.
